WHY BIRDS SING (90 minutes for BBC4, June 2007)
Professor David Rothenberg is convinced that some birds sing for pleasure.
This feature length documentary explores his theory – with surprising and sometimes contradictory results. Combining science, philosophy, literature, music and live performance.
‘…a complete delight…’ D.Mail
‘…charmingly barmy…’ D.Telegraph
‘…a wonderful farrago of oddballs…’ Guardian
‘…a winged delight…’ Indy on Sunday.
OFFICAL SELECTION:
3rd International Festival of Science Films, Athens, 2007
Festival of Films on Science, Paris, 2008
Clip: Baby Zebra Finches copy their mothers
Professor Ofer Tcherakovski studies birdsong … obsessively.
He spends his time researching whether zebra finches copy their mothers’voices … like human babies do.
Clip: The human song thrush
Conceptual artist, Marcus Coates, has devised an ingenious way of making humans sound like birds.
Next in his collection is David Rothenberg, the human song thrush…
